Stephan helms "Birdie" in Millville, theater gets new look

View full sizeCathy CramerJohn Stephan (far left) directs and choreographs the new production of "Bye Bye Birdie" with the Off Broad Street Players Theater Company.

MILLVILLE — This year, the Off Broad Street Players (OBSP) is shifting gears and getting a small make-over.

The first of the major shifts the theater is taking is with it’s new production of “Bye Bye Birdie,” that’s eyeing a Millville premier this Valentine’s Day weekend.

Traditionally, Walter A. Webster, the founder and artistic director of the group, has provided stage and music direction to nearly every major musical and play the company has produced in the past fourteen years.

And as of the beginning of this year, Webster said he’d be taking a break and passing on the reigns to John Stephan of Glassboro.

Stephan is currently rehearsing the “Birdie” cast in Bridgeton, and is preparing to move everything to the auditorium at Millville Senior High School this weekend.

But he’s not afraid of the Webster-legacy shoes he’s filling.

“It doesn’t worry me, we have a great cast and we’ve had no hiccups along the way,” the 24 year-old Rowan University graduate said. “Everything is falling into place.”

Stephan holds a degree in English and secondary education and currently teaches Language Arts at Cumberland Regional High School.

He also took a minor in theater and teaches an advanced drama program at the high school.

His first experience with OBSP occurred last summer where he assisted with the group’s summer theater camp. This is his first mainstage show.

“I didn’t really get involved in theater until I reached high school,” Stephan said. “Instead of taking a gym class, we could take a dance class in place of it. That’s where I learned choreography.”

Stephan attended Rahway High School. His school put on an annual musical, and frequently they would compete at the Paper Mill Playhouse for the Rising Star Award.

At Cumberland Regional, Stephan assists with the annual musical and produces a play and a smaller musical with his advanced drama class.

Last year he produced “Bang Bang You’re Dead,” a play about bullying in high schools.

“It was a controversial piece but I think students need more realistic theater that they can relate to just as much as they need the popular shows,” Stephan said. “That’s what I try to focus on in our advanced program.”

With his turn at OBSP, Stephan is getting a chance to veer from the theater he instructs at CRHS and focus on more mainstream material.

However, he wasn’t initially asked to do “Bye Bye Birdie.”

When the season was announced, the group planned for a production of “George M!,” a musical about the Broadway song-and-dance man George M. Cohen, who made famous the songs “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”

“We held auditions for ‘George M’ but felt that we might have a stronger cast for a show like ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’” Stephan said. “So we took a chance and brought the idea to the Board of Directors and they made the change. People are very familiar with this show, whereas ‘George M’ didn’t have the success on Broadway that ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ had. Some people were asking us ‘George who?’I’m glad we took a more popular approach.”

“Bye Bye Birdie,” is a 1950s musical inspired by a time when Elvis Presley was drafted into the army. The rock singer created after Elvis, “Conrad Birdie,” holds a contest on the Ed Sullivan Show for local girls to compete to be the last person the singer kisses before he leaves for war.

Stephan is joined by Mary Boner of Bridgeton and Mike Peterson of Pittsgrove who are designing, painting and constructing the scenery.

Kim Hitchner of Bridgeton is creating the costumes and the show is stage managed by Heidi Dugan of Millville.

“The colors of the sets and the costumes are all on the same color palate so it’s visually beautiful,” Stephan said. “The energy of this group is through the roof.”

The company agrees.

“For his first time directing here, John is doing an incredible job,” said Heidi Dugan, who is stage managing her second production with the group.

“The whole process is well-organized and what he says he’ll cover in a rehearsal is exactly what he does,” Dugan said.

Stephan, however, is not the only new addition to the group.

The Board worked throughout 2010 to develop a new logo and new branding.

The new logo unveiled for the Off Broad Street Players in 2011.

“We’re unveiling our new ‘look’ this year,” said Webster, who also serves on the Board. “It’s contemporary, fresh and innovative and that spells out what we strive to be.”

The new logo includes the letters O.B.S.P. on top of a black box, representing the group moving into a new space.

“Our move to the Levoy has influenced the new concepts and designs,” Webster said.

The group planned on moving into the theater this summer, but with the January collapse of a portion of the building, the group went back to the drawing board.

Acoording to Webster, summer and winter musicals are still to be determined, but the shows “Tom Sawyer,” “Over the River and Through the Woods,” and “Doubt,” remain in schedule.

Tickets to these shows are all available online at www.obsp.org.

All performances will take place in Millville at locations to be announced.

Performances for “Bye Bye Birdie,” will be held February 11 through 20, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for students and senior citizens.